August Mors

August Mors (20 June 1921 – 8 August 1944) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.

The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Mors was born on 20 June 1921 in Sigmaringen, at the time in the Province of Hohenzollern within the Weimar Republic.

Following completion of flight and fighter pilot training, Mors was posted to the 6.

Staffel (6th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing) in May 1942.

At the time, 6.

Staffel was commanded by Oberleutnant Horst Carganico and subordinated to II.

Gruppe (2nd group) of JG 5 headed by Major Hennig Strümpell.

The Staffel was based at an airfield at Petsamo, present-day Pechenga in Murmansk Oblast, Soviet Union on the Eismeerfront (Ice Sea Front)—the area of operations nearest the Arctic Ocean.

On 1 June, Strümpell was transferred and command of II.

Gruppe was given to Carganico.

In consequence, 6.

Staffel command was passed on to Oberleutnant Hans-Diether Hartwein.

During this period, II.

Gruppe received the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4.

Training on this aircraft was done in small groups at Pori Airfield in Finland.

On 27 September 1942, Mors claimed his first aerial victory.

At 14:55, elements of II.

Gruppe escorted Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters to Vayenga.

On this mission, Mors was the wingman of Theodor Weissenberger and shot down a Hawker Hurricane fighter.

On 6 January 1943, the Gruppe received the first Bf 109 G-2 variant.

Mors was one of the pilots who shuttled one of the aircraft from Krasnogvardeysk, present-day Gatchina, to Alakurtti Air Field.

Three days later, on a mission to Kandalaksha, Mors claimed a Hurricane and a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter.

For this he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse).

On 8 June, Mors claimed three "Typhoon" fighters shot down.

According to Mombeek, the Hawker Typhoon fighter was never deployed on the Artic theater.

The author assumed that the "Typhoon" refers to the LaGG-3 fighter.

For these claims, Mors received the Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse).

Following aerial combat 15 - 20 km northwest of Murmashi on 15 June 1943, Mors was forced to bail out of his Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13 764—factory number), sustaining minor injuries.

At first, he was reported as missing in action as all search attempts failed.

Three days later, Mors was spotted and rescued by an Arado Ar 196 aircraft and returned to his unit.

Following his return, Mors was given a few days of convalescence.

On 6 August, 6.

Staffel moved to an airfield named Pontsalenjoki, located west of Pyaozersky.

That evening, Mors claimed two Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters shot down.

In November 1943, II.

On 6 August 1944, August Mors was severely wounded after attacking allied bombers.

He bailed out, but died two days later on 8 August 1944.

He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 20 October 1944.

During his career he was credited with 60 aerial victories, 48 on the Eastern Front and 12 on the Western Front.